Friday, August 27, 2010

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

“MALAY unity” and “Malay special rights” are grabbing headlines again. On 5 July 2010, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin reminded Malay Malaysians that they faced losing political power if they remained divided.On 28 July, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak warned the DAP not to highlight the issue of bumiputera and Malay Malaysian “special rights”. He said such discussions could instigate anger and dissatisfaction.

Such rhetoric has become commonplace in Malaysia. This week, The Spanker comments on what Umno leaders actually mean when they call for “Malay unity”, and what it would take for them to change their tune.

Do Malay Malaysians have to be “united” to “maintain political control”? Is “Malay unity” even possible? What exactly do Umno politicians mean when they say the Malays must be united?

“Unity” in Malaysian politics is actually a code word for “elimination of competition” and “one-party politics”. When politicians sing the tune of “Malay unity”, they are basically talking about building political monopoly to control the Malay Malaysian electorate.

Such a monopoly disadvantages both voters and politicians. Voters cannot play politicians off one another for a better deal if politicians were all united. Barring those already in dominant positions, politicians themselves would be denied the chance to compete and progress within their own party based on their strengths. Additionally, when you have no enemy out there, you fight among yourself. Competition is what politics is about, and how human societies operate.

Wanting to eliminate competition is naïve, or sinister, or both. Do we ever lament that hypermarkets Tesco, Carrefour, Giant and Mydin are divided and engaging in competition, instead of cooperating to give consumers a better deal?

Ultimately, though, politicians’ need to compete will eventually terminate any unity arrangement. That’s why the Umno-PAS alliance in the Barisan Nasional (BN) from 1974 to1978 eventually broke down.

Is it true that non-Malay Malaysians are more united, as some politicians claim?

Would you say the non-Malay Malaysians are united when they have representations in [the different political parties of] the DAP, PKR, PAS, PSM, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP, SAPP, PRS, SDP, Upko, PBRS and LDP?

If non-Malay Malaysians appear more united rallying behind the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), it is simply because of the threat of Umno. Non-Malay unity will [really] materialise if Umno and PAS work together for “Malay unity”. That’s what happened in the aftermath of 13 May when the calls for both “Malay unity” and “Chinese unity” were popular.

Tony Pua‘s call for selective scrapping of bumiputera discounts for luxury houses led to a warning by Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan not to “play with fire”. How much longer do you think Umno can assert the “don’t mess with the Malays” rhetoric and survive in Malaysian politics?

The “don’t mess with the Malays” rhetoric survives on two premises. One, the myth that all Malay Malaysians, whether billionaires, labourers, farmers or the homeless, share the same interests and would act in concert. Two, the presumption that people can run amok and act violently and not be penalised because they were somehow instigated.

The first premise is collapsing as it cannot withstand the examination of common sense. What do poor bumiputera have to gain by defending the right of rich bumiputera to buy luxury houses? Will bumiputera billionaires share their discounted bungalows with bumiputera labourers for even a day?

The only “rationale” is that the poor bumiputera may hope to rise and somehow become rich, for example, by winning the lottery one day. The discourse of ethnic solidarity is very much one of gambling and get-rich-quick schemes. The premise seems to be this: If someone of the same skin colour or faith can enjoy the privilege of being rich, you can too one day. So, you must defend that probability with your life even if it is just a one-in-a-million chance.

The second premise is more dangerous. If there is impunity for violence, and one can threaten violence and not get punished, then unless final victory is assured and you are prepared for the sacrifice, it is more rational to back down. What this means is that even if the majority of people are rational, society can be held to ransom by a militant minority that enjoys impunity for violence.

Ahmad Maslan must clarify what he meant by “play with fire”. He can easily rebut Pua’s suggestion with reason without the metaphor of fire. Does he imply riots and looting? If so, then Najib should sack him and the police must investigate him for criminal intimidation. What reform is the prime minister talking about if a deputy minister thinks and speaks in this manner? Who will invest in a country ruled by the logic of violence?

Do the realities of grassroots sentiments push Umno to take the “ketuanan Melayu” stand to ensure voter support, or is it a miscalculation on their part about what the electorate wants?

No one miscalculates. It’s a conflict of interest on different levels. Umno party members and the Malaysian citizenry at large are two different populations. Anyone in Najib’s position will realise the general mood of the nation is to move forward and away from ethno-religious politics. That’s the lesson PAS learned in the 2004 elections.

Ibrahim Ali

But Malay Malaysian politicians not in Najib’s position, from Muhyiddin to Datuk Ibrahim Ali, have the incentive to play to the gallery of Malay Malaysians who feel insecure about reforms. Or to those who dream of winning the lottery to become the next bumiputera billionaire. There is a natural constituency waiting for this kind of leadership.

Najib is strategically caught between two goals: on the one hand, fanning dissatisfaction among Malay nationalists against the PR; on the other, wooing the non-Malay Malaysian constituency with his 1Malaysia propaganda. It’s a challenging balancing act, but not mission impossible. All you need are collaborators in the traditional media and an unthinking public that only complains about politicking and refuses to analyse why.

What do you think it would take for Umno to try a different approach than their current “ketuanan Melayu” rhetoric?

Defeat or clear signs of defeat. If the 1Malaysia-Perkasa double-speak depletes non-Malay Malaysian support to a record low of 10%, while PR’s Malay Malaysian support remains at about 40% minimum, then Umno may become the opposition by the next elections. Umno will then realise Malaysians are too smart for their tricks. To avoid this Waterloo, they will have to drop the Perkasa approach and practise what they preach in 1Malaysia.

But there is a danger here. Like any other one-party regime, some in Umno will not bow out in any situation. If they lose the elections, they may resort to palace or military coups to stay in power or to force a coalition government.

Ultimately, Umno needs to transform itself into a democratic party – a party that unconditionally accepts multi-party democracy – before it will give up “ketuanan Melayu”. So, the key to evaluate Najib’s or Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin‘s credentials as “reformists” is not in their commitment to the New Economic Model, but in their willingness to bow out graciously should Umno lose the next poll.

Friday, August 6, 2010

I don’t get it. Here in Malaysia it takes a death or murder or some other serious crime before everyone will get of their collective asses and demand that action be taken. Then after a while things will cooll down and life returns to normal. Until the next disaster. Have we not heard of the word “proactive” ?

There is no specific law in Malaysia that governs the reporting and handling of cases of abused/missing children. However, the Royal Malaysian Police make inquiries on missing persons under section 3 and 20 of the Police Act.

Malaysia is not a signatory of the Hague Convention of 1993 on transborder parental abductions, as many Malaysians who married foreigners have found out the hard way.

From January 2008 to 8th November 2009, there were 4,968 cases of crimes against childen and 1,859 children are are still classified as “missing”.

A short ride home from school became a ride of terror for a Year Four pupil when the driver stopped the van to strip her in front of her friends and schoolmates before forcing himself on her. The police believe that many more schoolchildren could have been raped by him in his van over the last few months.

Last week, two men were arrested for stalking and raping more than five teenaged girls living in their neighbourhood.

And only last month, a 54-year-old taxi driver was charged with raping and molesting several secondary schoolgirls aged between 15 and 17. He also video taped the crime and used the incriminating clips to blackmail the victims for further sexual exploitation.

How many more cases like Nurin Jazlin or Sharlinie Mohd Nashar or Nisha Chandramohan is it going to take before we wake up?

IMPOSE THE DEATH PENALTY FOR CHILD RAPE NOW!

School van driver V. Tiagarajan charged with two rape offences and for inciting a child to perform an act of gross indecency. The 51-year-old was remanded after he failed to obtain bail in one of the cases -- the alleged rape of a 9-year-old girl who lived with him.

Tiagarajan made the headlines by raping a 9-year old girl in a van in Jalan Othman on July 26 2010. Deputy public prosecutor Shah Rizal Abdul Manan said the prosecution did not want bail to be offered as the victim and the rapist lived in the same neighbourhood. "The accused stays in Taman Medan while the victim stays in Kampung Muniandy. We are concerned that he will disturb the victim," Shah Rizal said.

Defence counsel Lim Sha Lee said that being concerned was not sufficient grounds to deny the accused bail. She added that Tiagarajan promised to stay away from the victim and that he planned to move out of his home in Taman Medan to another house in Taman Kinrara, Puchong.

"He has also stopped working as a van driver since he was arrested and would be looking for another job," she said, adding that Tiagarajan had three children. Lim said she could produce two bailors for Tiagarajan -- his wife and his sister.

Rozina then allowed bail of RM15,000 in two sureties and imposed an additional condition for the accused to report to the nearest police station once a month and for him not to disturb the victim, her family, or any of the witnesses in the case.

Rozina also said she would be issuing an order to the Immigration Department that the accused be not allowed to leave the country until the disposal of the case. Tiagarajan was then taken to another Sessions Court where he claimed trial to a charge of raping another 9-year-old girl. He is alleged to have committed the offence at his house in Jalan PJS 3/52 near here last year.

Shah Rizal again asked the court not to allow bail as the accused and the victim in this case stayed in the same house. Sessions Court judge Balqis Aini Mohd Ali then asked Tiagarajan's wife to come forward. The woman, who introduced herself to the court as Ratnama, said the alleged victim in this case was her niece.

She said she had been taking care of the girl since her sister (the niece's mother) died when the girl was 6 years old. Lim said the accused was willing to stay away from the girl by moving into his other home in Taman Kinrara.

The judge, after a brief recess, denied Tiagarajan bail until he could show that he was staying at another location with proof of a permanent address. Tiagarajan was then taken to the magistrate's court here where he pleaded not guilty to inciting a 9-year-old child to an act of gross indecency.

The victim in this case is the same girl named in the second rape charge. He is alleged to have committed this offence at his house last year. Shah Rizal asked the court to deny Tiagarajan bail as he lived in the same house as the girl. He also informed the court that Tiagarajan had been charged with two counts of rape.

Magistrate Aishah Hijriah Arshad then fixed bail at RM8,000 in one surety and ordered the accused to report to the nearest police station by the third of each month. She also ordered the accused not to disturb the victim. The courts fixed Sept 7 for mention of all three cases.

If found guilty of rape, Tiagarajan faces a jail term of five to 30 years. For the charge of inciting a child to an act of gross indecency, he faces a maximum jail sentence of five years and may be caned.

1st MARBC

About Me

is a twisted, wicked, sarcastic, single, dirty old man with 28 years experience in hospitality, entertainment and media. He’s been involved in the senior management of several hotels and resorts and just about every club in the Klang Valley and loves to people watch.
This gives him a unique insider’s perspective and he brings with him a valuable local and regional network of business associates that personally know him on a first name basis.
A seasoned journalist, Dave is currently the Chief Editor and Senior Partner for Frigglive.com and Ascension Media, as well as Media Mafia Malaysia besides having his own company One Media Publishing.
Although Dave is much sought after for his Media Strategist and Media Liaison expertise for his firsthand knowledge and experience, he erroneously thinks he is popular because he can consume large quantities of wine while regaling everyone with witty anecdotes and interesting trivia about his staple liquid diet – alcohol.